Social and psychological challenges facing scholarship Saudi students studying in foreign countries

Resumen

The study aimed to explore and find out the reasons for the psychological challenges faced by Saudi scholarship students studying in foreign countries, as well as the effects of those challenges. The study sample consisted of 1446 male students and female students out of the total number of Saudi students in each of the US, UK, Canada, and Australia (75.485). The researcher used a descriptive analytical approach to achieve the objectives of the study. A questionnaire was prepared for the social and psychological challenges facing scholarships for Saudi students studying in foreign countries that consisted of (67) items. The results of the study reached the following: Results showed that the dimension of proposals to reduce psychological problems resulting from the scholarship experience came first and then the dimension of identity and belonging to the ethnic group and then social and psychological support during the first three months of scholarship and then dealing with the new environment during the first three months and then dealing with the new environment during the scholarship and then social and psychological support programs provided prior to the scholarship, where the mean averages were calculated as, respectively: )3.811 .3.751 . 3.742 .3.730 .3.596. 3.447( . Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support during the first three months of scholarship and the dimension of identity and belonging to the ethnic group, and the overall score for the questionnaire of psychological and social challenges, depending on the variable gender, and the difference was in favor of males. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level in the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the scholarship and dimension identity and belonging to the ethnic group and depending by the variable of academic level, and the difference was in favor of undergraduate students. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support programs provided prior to the scholarship and the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the first three months and the dimension of proposals to reduce psychological problems that are resulting from the scholarship experience, depending by the variable before the scholarship, and the difference was in favor of a low language level. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support programs provided prior to the scholarship and the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the first three months and the dimension of proposals to reduce psychological problems resulting from the scholarship experience and depending on the variable of before the scholarship, and the difference was in favor of a low language level. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the scholarship depending by level before the scholarship, and the difference was in favor of a high language level. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support programs provided prior to the scholarship and the overall score for the questionnaire of psychological and social challenges varying by the variable reflecting period of scholarship, and the difference was in favor of those who have had a shorter stay in the scholarship country. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the first three months and the dimension of proposals to reduce psychological problems resulting from scholarship by the variable reflecting period of scholarship, and the difference was for those who are at the end of the scholarship. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support programs provided prior to the scholarship by the variable capturing type of residence in the country of scholarship, and the difference was in the favor of students living in private accommodation. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of social and psychological support during the first three months of scholarship and by the variable capturing type of residence in the country of scholarship, and the overall score for the questionnaire of psychological and social challenges and the difference was in the favor of students who have a host family For those who have residents of a Private accommodation. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension dealing with the new environment during the first three months by the variable reflecting type of residence in the country of scholarship and the difference was in favor of students who have a family For those who have a Private accommodation and with colleagues who were residents of a Private accommodation. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the .05 level in the dimension of dealing with the new environment during the scholarship by the variable of type of residence in the country of scholarship, and the difference was in favor of students who stay with a host family.